The LOUIS XIII Quest for a Legend: A Century in a Bottle

Every drinker knows that wines and spirits taste better as they age. It is primarily why you would find an avid collector with his own cellar—for these drinks need to be stored properly and consumed at the right time to bring out their finest flavors. Now imagine a cognac that is 140 years old—a drink that has endured more than a century. A blend that has been passed on from generation to generation, from cellar master to cellar master, and has set foot on different shores all over the world. That’s what I had the privilege to taste last week at the Quest for a Legend LOUIS XIII launch at The Tasting Room, City of Dreams Manila.

Who can say no to a rendezvous involving alcohol? I love my beers—craft beers most especially—and my whiskies, but the LOUIS XIII is different. This is Rémy Martin’s ultra-premium product—the cognac of all cognacs—an artifact of painstaking labor, meticulous details, and tons of patience.

Photo credit: Remy Martin

In this dinner and cognac-tasting, Ms. Marie-Amelie Jacquet herself (4th generation of the owning family of the House of Remy Martin) welcomed guests into the affair. Mr. Christophe Bourrie, the Regional Director of LOUIS XIII, gave us more insights about the fine art of cognac-making—specifically, Rémy Martin-style.

LOUIS XIII was created in Cognac, France in 1874. Two years after, the first few decanters sailed to the United States; a few more years and this drink reached Asia: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Now the House of Rémy Martin is in search of survivors out of the 748 existing decanters—those that had withstood the test of time, and still lock within their intricate containers the complex flavors of this elite blend.

Photo credit: Remy Martin

Pinoy collectors and aficionados will be happy to find out that possessing the rarest LOUIS XIII decanter doubles their luck. One, they naturally have the luxury of consuming this exquisite cognac at their own leisure, any time they want, however they like. Two, they have a chance to get selected as the lucky winner who can visit the Rémy Martin estate in Cognac, France (more details at the bottom of this page).

As I took a whiff of the LOUIS XIII, I couldn’t help but feel excited. Never did I imagine I would be able to taste a drink as old as this—usually you would find me in one corner enjoying my Jack Daniels and waiting to get wasted. I savored each sniff, and swirled the cognac inside my mouth to let the taste linger. A drop-sized portion unleashes an assault of different flavors. I’m no expert, but I do know this was the smoothest, strongest, and most complex spirit I’ve ever had.

In lieu of the snifter, LOUIS XIII is ideally consumed through this customized Cristophe Pillet glass for maximumenjoyment of its flavors.

After sampling other Remy Martin VSOPs, I got to tell the difference and came closer to understanding why the LOUIS XIII costs almost $150/glass!

Indeed, quality cannot be rushed.

Competition Guidelines:

Contest entry period is between 3 February 2015 and 31 March 2015.

To enter the competition, participants must send photos of their unopened LOUIS XIII bottle via mobile messaging (SMS or Whatsapp - +639209155443)—or directly to the local Rémy Martin office. Entries can also be submitted online at www.louisxiii-cognac.com/questforalegend.

Participants need to provide their full name, age, ID, contact information, nationality and specify the details on how they obtained the bottle of LOUIS XIII.

Participants can submit more than one bottle.

The LOUIS XIII team will follow up with each submission individually.

The winner will be chosen by and expert committee who will assess each bottle with a set criteria.

Rémy Cointreau International (Rémy Martin) reserves the right to make the final decision.

Terms & conditions:

Participants:

Must be the legal owner of the bottle

Must be citizens or residents of the participating countries (SEA, India, Middle East)

Must be 18 yrs. old and above (25 yrs. old and above for India)

Must agree to absolve LOUIS XIII/RCI from any liability with regard to handling of the entry bottle

Bottle:

The bottle must be unopened, with at least 50% of the original liquid (this will be verified by RCI and the House of Rémy Martin)